Recently orphaned, young Rose Campbell is sent to the "Aunt Hill", where Uncle Alex, her six aunts, and seven boy cousins live in noisy confusion. It is nothing like the quiet girls’ boarding school that has been Rose’s home for the past year. Surrounded by a bewildering array of pets, relatives, and unfamiliar foods, the fragile girl wonders if she will ever get used to this new life. Fortunately, Uncle Alex is her guardian. He keeps the aunts from coddling her too much, and makes sure that she has plenty of time to play outside with her cousins.

A Rose in Bloom

Returning to the "Aunt Hill" from a two-year trip around the world, 20-year-old Rose Campbell suddenly finds herself surrounded by male admirers, all expecting her to marry them! Rose is rich and pretty, and she suspects many of these suitors are more interested in her wealth than her dreams. But she is determined to live her own life and find her own love, despite the many plans of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Louisa May Alcott wrote this delightful sequel to Eight Cousins at the request of her many fans.

Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out

Written in classic Alcott style, we see how the boys struggle to overcome their many flaws, in the end learning life's lessons the hard way. Just as the March girls did, each boy must learn to deal with death, love, heartbreak, and the consequences of their actions. Audiences will feel pain and joy alongside each young man as he completes his life journey and fulfills his dreams in this classic conclusion to one of America's most beloved series.

Rose in Bloom

This is the charming, human account of the adventures of lovely, wealthy Rose Campbell as she grows into young womanhood. Rose's greatest attraction undoubtedly is that she's such a real girl. She has her trials and disappointments, her temptations and failures. But with the aid of loving counsel and a level head she manages to turn out into a thoroughly lovable, admirable woman.

Little Men

Little Men brilliantly extends the March family saga begun in Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women. Jo---now married to the good-natured Professor Bhaer and with sons of her own---has become the unflappable matron of an extended family at Plumfield, a school that the Bhaers have founded with Aunt March's legacy. Jo's rambunctious youngsters grow up in an atmosphere full of high spirits and misadventure---a world enlivened by Alcott's unique powers of observation and sympathy.

An Old-Fashioned Girl

A country girl named Polly is visiting city friends and comes to realize that this world is quite different than which she has left. Here people are judged according to their dress and manner of speech rather than for their honesty and hard work. Yet all who meet Polly cannot help but be enamored of her; her sweet simplicity is unlike any that they have ever seen, and soon everyone comes to realize that Polly is not someone to be laughed at and ridiculed, but someone to put upon a pedestal for failing to become willing prey to the cynicism of the times.

A Garland for Girls

Louisa May Alcott's lively and heartwarming stories are favorites with young readers everywhere. A Garland for Girls will be especially welcomed by those who read and treasure all of the famous books by this great American author.

The Mysterious Key and What it Opened

This suspenseful novella focuses on the dark secret that haunts the aristocratic Trevlyn family since the untimely death of Sir Richard Trevlyn. His widow keeps the key to the mystery inside a locket, which she never takes off. When a charming stranger with ulterior motives gains access to Lady Trevlyn and her young daughter, will he unlock the family secrets along with their hearts? Fans of Alcott’s Little Women and her heroine Jo March’s racy stories will delight in this Victorian sensation novel.

Jo's Boys

Jo March Bhaer, who first appeared in Little Women, returns as the compassionate mentor to the boys and girls of Plumfield school. The original students are now young men and women, scattered the world over but always drawn to Plumfield to share their experiences. With fond memories of their school days to comfort them, the young men travel far and wide in search of happiness and fulfillment. The firebrand Dan finds adventure and peril in the American West. Emil’s life is threatened as he sails the high seas. And all the while, tender romances are finally blossoming.

Little Men

Jo March, the irrepressible tomboy in Little Women, has grown up and married her professor to become Jo Bhaer. Together the Bhaers have established Plumfield - a warm-hearted, informal school where lessons are taught with a dose of laughter. When Nat, a young orphan joins the happy household at Plumfield, he can’t believe his good fortune. Each day is filled with studying and fun - the boys even enjoy Saturday-night pillow fights. But when Nat gets caught stretching the truth, he discovers there is more to learn in his new home than games and schoolwork.

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Young Cedric Errol lives in poverty in New York with his mother. When his father, who was disinherited for marrying an American, dies, Cedric is summoned to his grandfather's English estate. While the crotchety old Earl planned to transform the boy into a docile, traditional lording, it is Little Lord Fauntleroy who does the converting.

Good Wives

Three years after the close of Little Women, the March girls and their friend Laurie are young adults with only their futures to find. Along the way, they all face painful trials, from Meg's difficult lessons in housekeeping to Laurie's heartbreak in a love tragedy. Each of the girls finds happiness, but not always in the ways they expect.

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott’s heartwarming tale of the indelible bond between sisters. This treasured novel, drawn in part from Louisa May Alcott's personal experience, brings to life the provincial yet abundantly full lives of the March sisters. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy manage to lead an interesting existence despite their father's absence at war and their family's lack of money. Whether they're putting on a play or forming a secret society, their gaiety is infectious. This novel is part of Brilliance Audio's extensive Classic Collection, bringing you timeless masterpieces that you and your family are sure to love.

Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo

The lovable Jo March, introduced to us in Little Women, is now married with two sons of her own and an adopted family of 12 boys. And she couldn't be happier. Since starting an informal school at Plumfield, Jo and Professor Bhaer provide a haven for poor orphaned boys who thrive on warmth, goodness, and the affectionate interest of the March and Bhaer families.

Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla, almost 15, can't think any further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford. But undreamed-of challenges await the irrepressible Rilla when the world of Ingleside becomes endangered by a far-off war. Her brothers go off to fight, and Rilla brings home an orphaned newborn in a soup tureen. She is swept into a drama that tests her courage and leaves her changed forever.

Rainbow Valley

The winsome Anne Shirley is grown, has married her beloved Gilbert, and is the mother of six frolicsome children. Anne and her family experience some unimaginable events when a strange family moves into a nearby mansion. The Meredith family is comprised of two boys and two girls, a minister father but no mother, and a runaway girl named Mary Vance.

Anne's House of Dreams

Everyone who falls in love with irrepressible, red-haired Anne Shirley longs to know more of her life and adventures. Now, on the very eve of her wedding to Dr. Gilbert Blythe, we can come back into Anne's world in Anne's House of Dreams.

The Story Girl

Sara Stanley is only 14, but she can weave tales that are impossible to resist. In the charming town of Carlisle, children and grown-ups alike flock from miles around to hear her spellbinding narratives. And when Bev King and his younger brother, Felix, arrive for the summer, they, too, are captivated by the Story Girl.

Rainbow Valley

L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valley is the continuation of the beloved classics Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. Anne and Gilbert Blythe are married and have six mischievous children. Always seeking out new adventures and trying to help others, they're a rambunctious lot.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

This unforgettable children’s classic has been captivating children and adults alike for almost a century. Rebecca’s widowed mother has a failing farm, meager resources, and seven children to raise. When her spinster sisters offer Rebecca a home and an education, Mrs. Randall bundles her second eldest into a stagecoach with a kiss and an admonition to stay out of mischief. Could she be asking too much of the free-spirited imp with sparkling eyes and insatiable curiosity?

Little Women

Most people know this book from the Academy Award-winning motion picture starring Winona Ryder. Now, introduce them to the sparkling American classic behind the movie: a charming portrait of the joys and hardships of the four sisters in Civil War New England. Separated by the war from their beloved parents, these "little women" struggle to find their place in the world.

Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla Blythe, youngest daughter of Anne, is almost 15 in 1914. As her brothers and friends prepare to go off to battle, the irrepressible Rilla realizes that she will be changed forever and the world will never be the same.

Persuasion

This book is often thought to be the story of Jane Austen's own lost love. In it, she seems mellowed and more philosophical, touched perhaps by the sentiment of a story in which she saw herself as the heroine but in whose happy outcome she has a premonition that she would never play a part.

The Light Princess

It's a well known fact that a newborn princess will often be subject to a curse, especially if her royal parents neglect to invite an important magical relative to the christening. But never has there been a curse as charming (and hilarious) as that which befalls the Light Princess. Deprived of gravity, she can't take anything, or anyone, seriously. Even worse, she's apt to blow away on the first stiff breeze!

Publisher's Summary

Recently orphaned, young Rose Campbell is sent to the "Aunt Hill", where Uncle Alex, her six aunts, and seven boy cousins live in noisy confusion. It is nothing like the quiet girls’ boarding school that has been Rose’s home for the past year. Surrounded by a bewildering array of pets, relatives, and unfamiliar foods, the fragile girl wonders if she will ever get used to this new life. Fortunately, Uncle Alex is her guardian. He keeps the aunts from coddling her too much, and makes sure that she has plenty of time to play outside with her cousins.

Day by day, learning how to care for each of these people, Rose begins to bloom. Eight Cousins is a charming introduction to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classics, which include Little Women and Little Men. Barbara Caruso’s colorful narration perfectly captures Rose and her extended family.

What made the experience of listening to Eight Cousins the most enjoyable?

It is well performed, and it is a book so beautifully written with such appealing content, it stands up very well to being read aloud--which lesser books do not.

What did you like best about this story?

The ideas on health and healing, education, and women's role in society expressed by Dr. Alec Campbell are remarkably advanced. He would be very much at home in the company of holistic physicians of the modern world and is a perfect model of a "liberated," feminist male. He is extremely kind, generous, nurturing, and attentive to his sickly, heartbroken, 13-year-old, orphaned niece, Rose, the heroine of this novel.

For readers who enjoy stories rooted in family life, the Campbell clan offers a joyful vision of the many pleasures of being a treasured member of a close-knit, extended family.

Which character – as performed by Barbara Caruso – was your favorite?

There were three favorites: Rose, the 13-year-old heroine; Aunt Plenty, Rose's sixty-something great-aunt, and Pokey, a four-year-old little girl. Ms. Caruso is outstanding with female voices of all ages. However, she does not attempt to do male voices authentically, other than to very slightly deepen and roughen her voice to indicate adult males. To be fair, though, in my personal experience, few female narrators do male voices outstandingly, a notable exception being the late Anna Fields (AKA Kate Fleming).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me both laugh and cry. Rose formed important one-on-one relationships with many different relatives and several friends, but the most significant and moving relationships were Rose and Uncle Alec, Rose and the 15-year-old family maid, Phoebe, and Rose and her 15-year-old cousin Mac. I loved the way Uncle Alec encouraged Rose's innate tendency to compassion, and she found frequent opportunities to express her generosity and kindness as she assisted and nurtured Phoebe and Mac.

Any additional comments?

It was a huge pleasure to re-experience this book, which I so dearly loved in my childhood and shared with my own children, as an audiobook performance. Hearing it narrated by an excellent voice talent greatly enhanced what was already a long-time love affair with this book.

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